Richard Hofferbert, born in Grant County, Indiana, USA, in 1937. Ph.D. from Indiana University, Bloomington. Professor of Political Science at the State University of New York, Binghamton. († 2011)
Fellow (1 Sepember 1995 – 30 June 1996)
The major accomplishment of the year at NIAS was the restoration and invigoration of my personal research programme. In addition to that completed during this year, my activities between now and the time of my retirement in a very few years will be focused on themes the foundation for which was laid during the NIAS Fellowship.
As a central specific activity I contributed to the research theme group on “Political Parties and Democratic Performance”. The theme group will produce a multi-authored book presenting analyses of linkages between problem contexts, political party agendas, public opinion, and public policy in a dozen-and-a-half countries over the post-World War II period. The projected volume, “Organizing Democratic Choice”, will make a major contribution to the empirical analysis of political systems, bridging facets of democratic theory never before addressed in so comprehensive a manner with solid empirical evidence.
In addition to work toward the collective volume, I co-authored three major papers with members of the theme group. Two of these were presented at the Annual Joint Workshops of the European Consortium for Political Research (Oslo, 29 March – 3 April 1996). The third paper is under consideration by the American Political Science Review.
Individual additional work included writing two draft articles to be submitted by the end of summer, two essays for edited volumes, and organising a volume of Political Studies, the British journal, which I have been invited to edit.
I also delivered three lectures, one under the auspices of the United States Information Service, one for the Netherlands Fulbright Alumnae Association, and one in the NIAS Lecture series. Each dealt with the performance of the American political party system.